Just The Way I'm Not
by illruntowardsvegasskies
Summary: "Two people of similar nature can never get along, it takes two opposites to harmonize."-Ram Mohan; JoMi, American AU.


The hot California air felt extremely stifling as he walked through the hallway, looking down at the syllabus for his summer course. Joe Kido had always been an overachiever. Even in high school taking "normal" classes had never suited the future doctor, hence the reason he'd graduated as valedictorian at Northwood High School with plans to attend UCLA in the fall. As a pre-med student he had no interest in wasting time on GEs, he wanted to get to his major courses as quickly as possible. When he'd finally received his admission email from the university the next step was signing up for classes at the local community college, where he'd be taking both general biology and sociology over the summer. _Is this it?_ The eighteen-year-old frowned, eyeing the room was early, as usual, but didn't think he'd be the first one there. _Guess I'll get outta this heat._ Joe opened the door and walked inside, his entire body sagging with relief when the cool air hit his skin. _Hm, where should I sit?_ There were plenty of seats available, but the prime seat—right in the front row, smack in the middle—was taken by a girl reading a fashion magazine. _Darn it, of course someone else gets the good seat._ Joe bit his tongue and took the seat next to her, neatly arranging his school supplies on the desk. The girl glanced over and put down the magazine, turning to him.

"You're here for sociology, right?" There was a subtle drawl to her voice and his guard instantly went up. _Whoa, what does she want?_ He couldn't remember the last time a girl talked to him without wanting to copy his homework.

"Yeah, with Professor Woo." Joe said, scanning over the first chapter of their textbook to make it clear he wasn't interested in talking anymore. From the corner of his eye he could see his neighbor go back to reading her fashion magazine, occasionally pausing to glance at the other students filing in. _Where the heck is our professor?_ He checked his watch and saw that class was supposed to start in ten minutes, but whoever was teaching it hadn't shown up yet. Which made him sweat, even in the air conditioning, the last thing he needed was a setback like a class cancellation. _Okay, not bad, focus…_ His leg started jiggling and he bit the eraser of his pencil. Despite the fact that he was a little nervous, Joe tried to think positive. Which promptly ended in disaster. _Who am I kidding, if I don't take this class I'll have to take it first quarter—not a part of the plan._ Plans were his everything, plans kept him going, and if they failed he had no idea how to function. Soon enough an extremely tall, young looking guy walked through the door. Judging from the standard 'slacks and a button-up' he had on, he was their professor. _Only a minute late, wow._ Joe frowned and wrote the date in his notebook, ready to tackle whatever they'd be learning.

"Hey guys, we'll start in a sec—gotta set up the PowerPoint." Their professor grinned and Joe swore he heard all the girls in the class swoon. "While I'm doing that, grab one of these and pass it around." The man gestured to the syllabi in his hand before setting them on the edge of the desk in the front left corner. It took a while for the papers to get to his desk but once they did he took one and passed it back, looking through the schedule. _Looks easy enough._ There were only four tests: three midterms and a final. From the looks of it their professor placed more of an emphasis on a research paper and presentation they'd be working on with a partner. _Crap, I hate group work._ He'd always been the person who did the majority of the work when it came to group projects. Mostly because he didn't want to nag people and it was easier to do things _his_ way.

"All right, everyone get a syllabus?" Apparently their professor was done setting up the PowerPoint, judging from the expectant way he looked at the class. Everyone murmured a confirmation and he grinned. "Awesome, well, I'm Dr. Paul Woo and I'll be teaching you all about sociology for the next eight weeks." Dr. Woo went through all the normal particulars; where they could reach him, office hours, what he expected from everyone. By the time he got around to the group project Joe noticed they only had an hour of class left. _C'mon, pick it up man…_ He wanted to experience his first college lecture, not sit and listen to instructions he could easily go over himself.

"For your project I'll be pairing you up with someone—just to make it easy, since this might be your first college class." Dr. Woo leaned against the desk at the front and surveyed the class. "Let's see…" Their professor basically paired them whoever they were sitting next to. Which meant Joe would be spending the next eight weeks working with his neighbor, the girl who seemed more interested in fashion than passing classes. _Why me?_ He ran a hand through his hair with a groan. The universe wasn't fair sometimes.

"I posted the guidelines for the paper and project online, but I'd recommend talking with whoever you're working with ASAP. On Wednesday I'll pass a presentation sign-up sheet around. Cool?" Everyone murmured in agreement except Joe, who raised his hand. "Yes, question?"

"Um…" _Do we have to work with whoever we're sitting next to? I know I'm gonna get stuck doing all the work._ "No, sorry." He couldn't muster up the courage to voice his thoughts. Maybe it was because he could feel his partner staring at him, and he knew he could always talk to the professor after class.

"S'all good, now that all the boring stuff is out of the way why don't we start our first lecture?" Joe sank back in to his seat and started scribbling notes as their professor launched in to an overview of sociology. Once the lecture concluded he studiously ignored his neighbor when she turned to him, choosing to walk out of the class as fast as he could. _Crap, what the hell am I gonna do?_ He thought with a frown. Tomorrow he'd go to the professor and ask to switch partners. There was no other way to ensure that he'd get an 'A' in this class.

 _How is it that I got stuck with a partner who's a total dweeb?_ Mimi Tachikawa thought while walking back to her car. Taking this class wasn't her idea. She'd always been the kind of girl who listened to her parents because she cared about them. Before they left for their romantic European vacation they strongly suggested that instead of wasting her summer tanning at the beach, she should get a head start on her GE classes. 'You're going to CCC in the fall anyway, think of it as a learning experience' she remembered her mom saying. _Yeah, learning experience, sure._ Summer was _supposed_ to be fun. She was _supposed_ to see all her high school friends before they left her behind and went to college. She wasn't supposed to be cooped up in a classroom, working on a project with a guy who was clearly uncomfortable with girls. _Guess I'll start finding a topic that we can work on._ Mimi thought, covering her mouth to stifle her giggles. _Or I could sit outside by the pool and finish reading up on the latest summer styles._ The second option sounded far more appealing as she hopped in her Lexus, making sure to put the top of the car down as she drove home.

 _Home sweet home._ Mimi thought the minute she walked through the door. Whenever people saw the inside of her house they automatically assumed some fancy interior decorator had made the place look like an upscale country home. They were right to a certain extent; her mom _did_ work as a designer, and she _was_ very well known. _Hm, wonder how their flight was._ Her parents would be gone for the next four weeks. _Wish they'd let me go with them, I'd love to be shopping in Milan right now._ Mimi would definitely miss browsing the racks with her mom and hanging out with her dad, though she was happy to have the house to herself. _Jeez, it's so hot today._ She took her long, light brown hair out of its high ponytail and ran her hands through it, walking upstairs to her room. Apparently she'd forgotten to close the window before she left, if the breeze ruffling the lacy white curtains was any indication. _At least the screen'll keep out the bugs._ Once she tossed her bag aside she collapsed on the queen sized mattress, feeling completely exhausted. _What a day._ Scrambling to print everything and get to class on time was such a nightmare. Mimi was surprised she was the first one there, frankly, but her dad reminded her that if she wanted to get through community college she'd have to be on time. _Plus, no one interesting came in early enough to talk._ She flipped over on to her back, sinking in to the pink comforter.

 _Wonder what it'll be like working with Mr. Stoic…_ Her partner hadn't stuck around after class, which surprised her. From their brief conversation it seemed like he was a total type-A personality. The kind of guy who took things far too seriously and never had any fun. _Can't even say he's that cute, I didn't talk to him for very long._ Lanky was the first word she'd use to describe him, tall was the second. He was cute in a dorky way, totally not her type at all. _Fine by me, class would be so much more interesting if there was eye candy._ Mimi pouted and got up, heading over to her closet and pulling out her favorite bikini. As she changed she lamented the fact that her class was mostly composed of girls and the few guys in there didn't seem very interesting. _Maybe that'll help me be more focused._ Being distracted in class had always been an issue for her. It was worse in high school and she knew she needed to work if she wanted a good grade. _Whatever, it's only been a day, can't say much yet._ She grabbed a random magazine from the stack on her dresser, deciding to unwind and wait until Wednesday to deal with anything related to sociology.

* * *

 _Okay, just come right out and say you want to switch with someone._ Joe attempted to steel his nerves as he walked to his professor's office a full forty-five minutes before class. When Dr. Woo was going over his office hours, he told them it was easier to conduct them before lecture. Which was great, he wouldn't have to face his partner if their professor honored his request. _You can totally do this._ He was about to barge in to the office, but stopped himself, choosing to politely knock on the door.

"C'mon in." Dr. Woo's voice sounded over some kind of rock music, which was instantly shut off once he walked in to the room. "Hey, Joe, what's up?" _How does he know my name after taking roll once?_

"Uh…" Joe was at a loss for words. He'd never been good at complaining to teachers, mostly because he never wanted to get on their bad side. But he figured this would be good practice for when he actually started at a real college. His professor grinned and leaned back in his chair, which automatically made him panic. _Shoot, this was a bad idea, why did I do this?_

"Let me guess, you wanna switch partners for the project." Dr. Woo said, making his stomach drop. _What the hell?_ Apparently his professor was far more perceptive than he'd given him credit for.

"Uh…yes, um, I do. If it's okay." He ground out, running a hand through his dark hair. Even the air conditioning didn't help with the fact that his palms now felt clammy. _This has to work, I have to make a switch._ Joe couldn't explain why, but he had a feeling that working with the girl sitting next to him would be a nightmare. She reminded him of the cheerleaders from his high school who'd somehow managed to make it in to his AP classes; beautiful, but completely brainless.

"What's the reason you wanna switch?" His professor asked, sounding more concerned than annoyed. _I'll get stuck doing all the work, this girl's gonna blow me off._

"Uh…well, Dr. Woo, frankly I want to do the best I can on this project and don't know how well I can work with my partner." There, he said it in the nicest possible terms. Now all he could do was hope that his professor would take pity on him and pair him up with someone else.

"Hm, it _is_ the first week of class, you guys haven't really started your project yet. How can you know someone's work ethic if you haven't worked with them before?" Dr. Woo was making a lot of sense. Unfortunately it also sounded like a switch would be impossible. "If this were fall semester I might let you switch, but since this is a small class and you guys don't have much time to get the project done, I think it would be better if you stuck with your current partner." His professor gave him an apologetic smile. "But if there's problems down the line, don't be afraid to let me know." _Believe me, jerk, I will._ A sick feeling developed in his stomach when he realized there was no way he'd get out of working with Barbie.

"…alright, thank you." Joe frowned, power walking away before he had a nervous breakdown in front of his professor. _What the heck am I gonna do?_ Looks like his plan to get the highest grade in the class was shot to hell unless he could convince his partner to cooperate and work extremely hard. _Psh, yeah right._ She'd probably had everything handed to her and didn't know the meaning of the phrase 'hard work'. Needless to say Joe was in a foul mood by the time he stomped over to his seat and took out his notebook and pen. His partner walked in about five minutes later, right before Dr. Woo himself showed up. _Of course she's late, I knew her getting here early was a fluke._ He focused on writing the date and time of today's lecture, trying to keep from saying something he'd regret. _I could actually just do this thing myself._ That would be good for both of them, she'd be able to hang out at the beach and he'd get an 'A' for sure.

" _Phew_ , made it." Joe heard her say as she looked over to him with a grin. "Hey, you're the guy I'm working with for the project, right?"

"Uh, yeah." _Really?_ He knew he was a geek, but he didn't think he was _that_ forgettable. _To her, you probably are._ Not that it mattered, even if he knew several people who'd met their significant others through working together on projects in high school, he didn't have time for dating. More importantly he didn't want to end up with someone whose main goal was becoming a trophy wife. _Okay, that was harsh—but I doubt she's here because she wants to get ahead._

"Okay, just wanted to make sure." She didn't get a chance to say anything else because Dr. Woo said he was starting lecture, stealing their attention for the time being.

An hour flew by and according to Dr. Woo, the last fifteen minutes of class were now reserved for working on their projects. Even if his first instinct was to leave, he had to stay put. _Let this go fast._ He wanted to get to the library and start researching as soon as they figured out with topic they'd be working with.

"Um…" His partner started, turning to face him. "Well, hi, I'm Mimi." _Of course that's her name._ Apparently her parents knew they'd have a princess when they were choosing baby names.

"Joe." He said, shifting in his seat when her light brown eyes assessed him. They sat in silence for at least five minutes until Joe realized _he_ had to be the one to break the silence. "Uh…I think we should go with racism." She was staring at him as if he'd grown three heads. "For our topic…"

" _Oh_ , yeah, that's fine." Mimi clearly hadn't been paying attention when they were going over the project requirements. _Great, just great._ Part of him itched to tell her that he could just do the project himself and he'd be kind enough to let her put her name on it. However, this was also his chance to learn how to stand up for himself. Let his thoughts be heard.

"You know we're gonna have to do a _lot_ of work if we want an 'A' on this, right?" He murmured, squeezing his eyes shut. _Crap, now was not the time to be brave._ When he opened them Mimi was simply regarding him with a smile.

"I know that—it's gonna be _terrible_ , but I suppose I can skip the pool to work on this thing."

"Well I was thinking we could just…go to the library after class, get some information."

"You mean, like, _every day_?" Joe felt the incredible urge to rub his hand over his face in annoyance at how ditzy she sounded.

"Yeah, every day." Mimi blinked a few times before nodding, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"I guess I can do that…" She shot up the minute the clock hit two-fifteen, giving him another smile. "Were we starting our research today, or leaving it for Monday?" He started packing his stuff up, slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder once everything was secure. _If you want something done right, you've gotta do it yourself._ There was no point in having her accompany him to the library, she'd probably spend most of her time painting her nails or something.

"Monday's fine, see you then." Joe heard her squeal before thanking him and watch Mimi dart out of the classroom. _Now to go to the library and see how much of this I can finish._ He thought, grinning as he left the class. _Might not have been able to switch, but I can pull this project off._

* * *

Come Monday it was safe to say that Mimi was full on annoyed with how pretentious and 'holier than thou' her partner was. Unbeknownst to her after class on Wednesday he went to the library and started researching their project. Which would've been fine, had he not blindsided her with this information and told her he was more than capable of finishing everything on his own during their allotted class time for the project.

"That doesn't seem fair, and you _did_ tell me we'd start our research today." She was trying extremely hard to keep her voice level and calm. Even if she hated studying and writing papers, making someone do all the work wasn't right. Of course she'd also never been stuck working with someone who had a pole shoved up their ass either.

"Yeah, I just…thought I'd get a head start, since you seem _pretty_ busy." Her partner tried to smile and failed, which made her angrier. _Why is he treating me like I'm some dumb blonde? I know how computers work._ Granted, she used her laptop mainly for blogging and other social media, but this wasn't her first research paper. She'd done them in high school, and if memory served her correctly she'd scored Cs and Bs in all her English classes. Mimi was fully capable of looking up articles on racism and interpreting them. It might take a while for her to process them, yet in the end she'd get the point.

"Well I have nothing going on after class, and I'm happy to stay as long as we need to." She grinned when Joe frowned. "Within reason, spending hours in a library doesn't sound very fun." Her partner looked like he was about to say something, but decided against it. "So, what do you say?"

"Like I said last week, it'll take a lot of work if we want an 'A' on this thing." Joe mumbled after a few minutes, looking down at the articles he printed. _I know that, but it doesn't mean we should bend over backwards and try too hard._ Mimi toyed with the end of her braid, trying to come up with a good comeback to his statement. She couldn't think of anything and rested her chin on her hand, staring at her partner. _Why does it look like he's shrinking back in his seat?_ Mimi didn't think she was being harsh. Quite the opposite, she was under the impression that asking to share the work was the right thing to do.

"Hm…" A voice that sounded suspiciously like her dad's told her that compromising with this guy would be the only way to go. _I don't want to, but I have to._ She thought she'd grown out of thinking she could always have things her way, but her inner brat was fighting to come out.

"Tell you what, if you agree to meet up at the library with me every day for an hour until we present this thing, I promise I'll try and do most of the writing and editing for our paper. Deal?" Her partner suggested, finally meeting her gaze. _Wow._ She hadn't known him for very long and this was the first time he'd _actually_ looked at her. As cheesy as it was, she'd always thought that eyes were the windows to someone's soul _._ Despite the fact that Joe's were hidden behind a pair of black, Ray Ban style glasses, his dark brown eyes showed how intelligent he was.

"Every day? Even on weekends?" Mimi weighed the pros and cons of spending too much time on school work in her mind. _Guess there's no harm in it, besides, it's only an hour. I can handle that._ "Sure, you've got yourself a deal." She grinned and stuck out her hand, waiting for him to shake it. Her partner glanced at the extremity before ignoring the gesture, muttering something about going to the library before darting out of the classroom. _This is going to be awful._ Mimi thought, grabbing her bag and hurrying after Joe. _Please let this go by fast._

* * *

He was genuinely surprised that his partner had been true to her word. Granted, she was usually late to their meetings when they didn't have class and asked some _seriously_ stupid questions, but Mimi was trying. _Six weeks left, just six weeks left._ Joe reminded himself as he walked in to the library, trying to find a good spot. The place was packed for a Friday and he assumed most of the people were studying for their first exams. _Been there, done that._ Their first test was last week and he was confident he'd gotten the highest grade. Part of him wondered how his partner fared, but he didn't want to ask. _Don't want to give her the wrong idea_. He wasn't looking to make friends, he just wanted to inflate his GPA a bit and move on. _Ah, bingo._ Joe spotted a place in the corner of the library that wasn't occupied and walked over to it, throwing his backpack on the table. Mimi probably wouldn't be there for another hour and he figured he'd have time to do research for their project while studying for his first biology test.

 _Man, my back hurts._ Carrying around bag full of textbooks and other school supplies was really doing a number on his spine. Not that he cared, he figured a hurt back was less important than failing in school. Joe stretched his arms over his head before getting to work, plugging his headphones in to drown out the noise of people talking. _Hm…_ He started his classical playlist on iTunes before starting his search, completely oblivious to everything going on around him. Which is why he jumped at the feeling of someone's finger prodding his shoulder almost twenty minutes later.

" _Dammit_ , what?" He was ready to go off on whoever disturbed his precious study time, but quickly back peddled when he realized Mimi had finally joined him. "Oh, hey, it's you." Joe didn't mean to sound snarky, but judging from the confused look on her face the sarcasm went over her head anyway. _Huh, she wasn't super late today._ He'd actually say she was early, considering Mimi was prone to showing up at least thirty minutes after their planned meeting time.

"Yes, it's me? Who else would it be?" She said, sliding in to the seat across from him. "Have you been here long?" His partner ran her fingers through her long ponytail and started taking out all her stuff, surprising him again. _She's prepared today, why?_ Normally she forgot at least one item. Whether it was their textbook, her laptop or notebook, something was always missing. That wasn't the case today, Mimi had everything arranged perfectly on her side of the desk.

"No, I haven't—did you find any other articles you wanted to use?" He asked, going right back to scanning through the academic database he'd been browsing. A beat of silence passed before Joe glanced up, eyes widening when he realized she was staring at him. _Is there something on my face?_ His fingers brushed his cheeks subconsciously and he gulped. _Weird._ He wasn't used to girls staring at him, even if their intentions were completely innocent.

"Do we have to get straight to business? I just got here." Mimi questioned, folding her arms across her chest. _Well yeah, we've only got an hour._ Joe wanted to voice his thoughts, but decided to continue his research instead. _What's with her today?_ His partner was acting weird, like she was annoyed with something. Which wasn't his problem, they weren't friends—they weren't even acquaintances. She continued to stare at him for another minute before huffing and opening her laptop, jamming her own headphones in to her ears as she stared at the screen. A tense silence settled over them and Joe found it hard to work with her glaring at him every five seconds while angrily typing.

"Okay, _enough_. You're gonna break your keys if you keep banging on them like that." He spoke up after ten minutes, giving her his undivided attention. "Why are you being so childish?" Mimi ignored him and continued working, which pissed him off. _It's the first time I've spoken up and of course she chooses now to be responsible._

"I'm acting _exactly_ like you do whenever we come to the library, Joe." She said, finally meeting his gaze. _Crap, she looks steamed._ The sheer amount of anger radiating off her terrified him and he gulped, bracing himself for whatever insult was coming.

"Do you know how hard it is to work with you?" Mimi asked, sounding both hurt and defeated as she rested her chin on her hand. He _really_ wanted to say 'no, enlighten me' or 'you're not easy to work with either', but couldn't ignore the fact that it looked like she was about to cry. _Is working with me really that bad?_ Joe instantly ran through every interaction they'd had over the past two weeks and couldn't think of anything he'd said to upset her. _She's probably mad that I'm not interested in socializing._ That had to be it. He was about to defend himself, but Mimi started talking.

"Joe, you're so freaking smart but you have this… _thing_ about always being right and sticking to whatever plan you've come up with and it's _so hard_ to meet the standard you've set. It doesn't make me want to work with you, it makes me want to walk right out of here and let you deal with this on your own." She took a deep breath, continuing. "And believe it or not, I dowant to get a good grade on this project. But if you can't loosen up and understand how _I_ work, then I'll go talk to our professor and ask if I can join another group. Because I'm getting tired of you giving me dirty looks every time I show up a little bit late or ask you a simple question." To say he was stunned was a massive understatement, Joe was completely shocked at how perceptive Mimi was. _Was I…wrong about her?_ He knew he could be a little intense, but it came from a good place. _Should I apologize?_ Looking back, it dawned on him that he had no right to assume she was just like the girls in his high school. He had no right to assume she'd just brush everything off when she'd actually been trying her best to keep up with him. Even if she complained about having to spend time in the library, it didn't stop her from showing up to every meeting. _Wow, I was a jerk._ Though he didn't write it on his list, one of his goals for college was to become more open and tolerant of others. Hearing her call him out on his behavior actually made him realize he hadn't even started accomplishing that. _But I can change…I_ will _change._ Change could come from making amends with his partner and actually trying to be better. It was the only logical option.

"Uh…" He started, clearing his throat. "I, um, didn't realize I was acting like that. I'm sorry." Joe tried to make his tone as sincere as possible, knowing there was a chance she'd reject his apology and tell him to get lost. Two beats of silence followed as Mimi stared at him, scanning his face for any signs of deception. A small smile touched her lips after a few minutes and she stuck her hand out.

"Apology accepted. Can we at least _try_ to be friends?" She asked, waiting. _Friends?_ The thought of being friends with someone like her was a little terrifying, considering they were incredibly different people. Yet he had a feeling that there was a lot more to Mimi than she let on. _Is this going to blow up in my face?_ Part of growing up meant taking risks and learning from them, so for once he decided to take the plunge instead of playing it safe.

"Deal." For the first time in almost two weeks Joe grinned and took her hand, feeling a weird tingle when their skin connected. "Um…" _What do we do now?_

"I can stay a little later today, let's try and get as much done as possible, sound good?" She offered, returning his smile before leaning back in her chair. _This isn't right, this is a joke, she has to be sick._ Joe's overly analytical mind was in overdrive and it took her saying his name to get him to snap out of it. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, giving her a thumbs up as he went back to scanning his computer screen. Just as he was about to plug his headphones back in Mimi cleared her throat, stealing his attention.

"Yeah? What's up?" He asked, wondering if their truce was already broken.

"Nothing, just wanted to tell you that you have a really nice smile—you should do it more often." Mimi said, making heat rush to his cheeks. _W-what?_ He couldn't remember the last time a girl complimented him on _anything_. Somehow hearing it from his partner made it more meaningful.

"Uh, thanks." Joe mumbled, shoving his headphones back in to his ears as he continued searching for articles. _Focus, focus…_ Unfortunately his concentration was shot. All he could do was wonder whether or not his partner was joking about being friends and if this was just some clever ploy to get him to do all the work. _Why do I get the feeling she's being sincere?_ He wondered, half-heartedly making notes on their topic while simultaneously running through every possible thing that could go wrong if he did end up being friends with her. _You know what, to heck with it. I just want to see how things play out for once._ Eventually he put a stop to all his negative thoughts and reminded himself that if he wanted to reach his goal, he'd have to be willing to see someone else's viewpoint. _And how different can we get as the nerd and the princess?_ He thought with a snort, wondering what the hell he'd gotten himself in to.

* * *

 _Another day, another day._ Mimi thought as she walked in to the library, waving to Joe as soon as she saw him. _He looks happy, he must've aced his bio test._ Ever since she confronted him about being a jerk two weeks ago, their relationship had done a complete one-eighty. She'd actually expected him to get defensive and say he wasn't doing anything wrong, but had been pleasantly surprised when he apologized and told her he'd try to loosen up. Not only was it easier to work with him now, they'd actually started talking about things that weren't sociology related. Though they were completely different as people, now that they understood each other a bit better they were making strides towards becoming friends.

"Hello, hello." She sang out, taking the seat next to him. "You look happy, what's the occasion?"

" _Hey_ , I take offense to that!" He glared at her playfully, eventually yawning and stretching his arms over his head. "But if you wanna know, I just found out I got a hundred on my bio exam."

"Wow, congratulations, that's awesome." Mimi knew how hard he'd been studying, she'd seen it first hand. Of course she thought he had a tendency to overdo it with the whole studying thing, yet they'd _just_ started becoming friends. Telling him to take a break didn't seem appropriate. "Well, let's get started. I read over the outline you made for our presentation and started working on the slides, but wouldn't it be easier to write the paper first?" Her partner raised an eyebrow at her and she felt her heart rate increase. _No, we were doing so well!_ Mimi knew their progress had to stop at some point, it was inevitable.

"Actually, that makes a lot of sense, considering we've got all the articles ready to go." Joe grinned and opened his laptop, pulling up a blank word document. "What part did you want to do?"

"Oh, anything is fine—we could even write it together, just to save time." Mimi could practically hear the gears in his brain whirling as he looked at her. _What did I say? Was that a bad suggestion?_ Normally she was completely fine with guys staring at her, but the way Joe's dark blue eyes assessed her made her feel funny.

"That works too." He said after a beat of silence, his fingers already flying across the keyboard. The pair transitioned in to working on their project with ease, he'd ask for her opinion on what he wrote and she'd make sure he didn't make everything sound too dry. An hour flew by and despite the fact that they'd only written three pages, things were finally coming together.

" _Phew_ , I think we'll actually finish this thing by next week. Nice job today." Joe complimented her and she resisted the urge to giggle. _Wow, a compliment from Mr. Stoic, never thought I'd see the day._

"Thanks!" Mimi glanced at her watch, noting that it was still early. "Say, I'm in the mood for coffee, you wanna come with me to Delilah's?" _Delilah's Café_ was a local restaurant that was known for its amazing food and friendly staff. She paid a visit to the place at least three times a week and figured that asking her partner to accompany her was like a peace offering.

"Oh, um…" He stammered and ran a hand through his dark hair. _It's just coffee, it's not like I asked him on a date._

" _C'mon_ , I'm pretty sure you got here two hours early like you normally do. You could use a break, y'know." She reasoned, gently nudging his shoulder with a grin. His cheeks started to turn pink and he snapped his laptop shut, clearly weighing the pros and cons of hanging out with her in his mind. Mimi packed up her own stuff while waiting for his answer, eventually standing up. _Well, guess that's that then._ Regardless of whether or not he joined her, an iced vanilla latte sounded too good to pass up. Just as she started walking away he told her to wait, scrambling to pack up all his belongings before joining her.

"You're gonna have to give me the address or something, I've never been there before." Her partner said with a small smile, which made a weird feeling develop in her chest. _He's actually going with me. Oh my god, miracles can happen._ Once again, Mimi hadn't expected him to join her and actually looked forward to spending more time with Joe. _Let's see if he's different when he isn't freaking out about school._ The brunette gave him directions to the place, and waved goodbye to him as she began her trek to her car. _Who would've thought we'd actually end up working so well together?_ She thought, unable to keep from smiling as she drove to the café.

* * *

 _This is gonna be interesting._ Joe thought as he pulled up to Mimi's house, on the verge of having a massive anxiety attack. They'd reached the last two weeks of the course, yet it seemed as if he'd made a new friend in his partner. Ever since they'd gone out for coffee they started talking a lot more and even hung out after they were done studying together. Joe couldn't decide if he liked it or if it made him nervous. _At least we're almost done, who knows what'll happen when the semester ends?_ Initially working with her had been a nightmare, yet after realizing she wasn't anything like the cheerleaders from his high school, he actually wanted to keep talking with her. _Crap, I'm over thinking this, I should just let everything be._ He sighed and locked his car, trudging up to the front door. For once, they weren't studying together. Mimi had invited him over to watch movies and have dinner since her parents were gone until August on some European excursion. 'It's really lonely over here, come keep me company and I'll cook for you!' were her exact words. _I'm such a sucker when it comes to her now._ He found that he couldn't argue with her whenever she told him to take a break or offered to hang out with him. He was a pushover, he really was. Joe shook his head and rang the doorbell, jumping back when the object instantly swung open.

" _Finally_ , what took you so long?" Mimi sounded exasperated, but smiled as she ushered him inside. Heat instantly rose to his cheeks when he finally got the chance to _really_ look at her, noting just how short her black dress was. Joe gulped and counted backward from fifteen, eventually rolling his eyes at his friend.

"I'm _sorry_ , jeez—I got held up at the library and had to go to the store." He raised an eyebrow at her, holding up the bag containing a chocolate cake. "Did you or did you not text me asking for chocolate?"

"I did, thank you." She took the bag from him and told him dinner was almost ready, asking if he wanted the tour before they ate or if he wanted to wait until later. Joe simply shrugged and chose to take the tour, realizing how massive her house was as he followed her through the halls. _Pretty sure you could fit two of my house in here._ Having all the extra space must've been nice, considering Mimi was an only child and he'd shared a room with his brothers until they left for med school a couple years back.

"Your house is nice." He said as they finally walked in to the kitchen, which looked like it belonged in the pages of a Williams Sonoma magazine. _Uh, can we even sit in here?_ Joe shoved his hands in his pockets, unsure of what to do next.

"Thank you, mom did an awesome job decorating…stop being awkward, you can sit on one of the barstools by the counter." Mimi teased, running her fingers through her hair. She was wearing it down for once and he realized the light brown locks fell all the way to the center of her back. _That's gotta be awful, considering how hot it's been._ He took a seat and watched as she took the lid off a pot on the stove, instantly flooding the kitchen with the smell of garlic. _Hm, is that spaghetti sauce?_

"Joe you have the weirdest look on your face right now, does this smell bad?" His partner asked over her shoulder, gesturing to the pot with the wooden spoon in her hand.

"That…actually smells great, what'd you make?"

"It's a basic tomato sauce I made last weekend and froze, along with pasta I handmade after I got home from the library." Mimi turned around, raising an eyebrow at the look he was giving her. " _What_?"

"Nothing! It's just...I had no idea you cooked." It was more along the lines of he couldn't _believe_ she cooked, but he didn't want to admit that out loud. _Remember, she actually is different from the princess you thought she was._ Though part of him was fighting to say that she was just messing with him and someone else had made their food.

"Yeah, I've been in charge of making dinner ever since I could hold a spatula. Plus, cooking is really fun, it's nice being able to make something out of a few simple ingredients, you know?" She said, humming as she stirred the sauce before switching off the burner. Joe watched his partner go through the motions of combining the tomato mixture with the pasta, wondering what other things he didn't know about her. Their conversations had never been deep by any means and he actually found himself _wanting_ to know more about her. _That's what friends are supposed to do, right?_ Soon enough Mimi placed a rather larger plate of spaghetti in front of him, taking a seat on the other barstool.

"Dig in, it won't taste as good if it gets cold." She insisted, already twirling some of the pasta around her fork. Joe shrugged and did as she asked, totally stunned by how good everything tasted. _Mimi wasn't kidding, wow._ They mindlessly talked about their days over dinner, simply filling each other in on whatever happened after they parted ways at the library. Once they were finished Joe did the dishes despite Mimi's protests, saying it was rude not to help out. Eventually the pair migrated in to the living room and took a seat on the couch, trying to figure out what movies they wanted to watch. She'd already set out a bunch of DVDs and had Netflix pulled up on the plasma TV as well.

"I have comedies, tragedies, pretty much anything you can think of." Her knee accidentally bumped against his, making him jump slightly. Joe hadn't realized how close they were sitting together. _Oh crap._ The fact that he could smell whatever perfume she sprayed on wasn't helping his heart rate decrease. Despite the fact that academics had always been his main goal, he was still a guy. A guy who knew full well how pretty his partner was. Of course also knew that the last thing he needed was to start being attracted to her, it wouldn't end well. _Just focus on the movies, just the movies._ He sorted through all the DVDs in front of him, settling on one he recognized.

"How about this one?" Joe held up her copy of _Sixteen Candles_. Regardless of whether or not the movie was supposed to be a romantic comedy, he'd always identified with the main character. His parents had definitely forgotten his birthday at least once over the years and having two siblings who succeeded in everything they did could get irritating.

"Oh, you picked one of my favorites!" Mimi grinned and took it from him, making the necessary adjustments to the TV before popping the DVD in the DVD player. He had to avert his eyes when she bent over and tugged at the collar of his shirt. _Is it hot in here? It was really warm earlier._ His brain was trying to rationalize the sudden spike in his body temperature and he gulped when she sat back down. She'd only left a few inches of space between them and Joe couldn't understand why he felt so nervous. It wasn't as if they were dating, they'd literally just started to understand each other. Who knew what would happen by the end of the semester, they probably wouldn't continue talking once the class finished. _For once, why don't you enjoy the moment._ He'd spent most of his life trying to forge ahead and always had a goal in mind. It was rare for him to relax or enjoy anything without overanalyzing the situation. _Just breathe._

"Joe, are you okay? You seem super tense." Mimi glanced at him, which wasn't helping his nerves at all.

"Hm, I'm fine, I'm just thinking about—"

" _Nope_ , nu-uh, you are _not_ thinking about our presentation, our paper, or your biology class while we're watching movies. You're welcome to do so after you leave, but you _seriously_ need to relax." She might have missed the mark slightly, but hearing how concerned she sounded really threw him off.

"Am I _that_ bad?" Joe asked with a laugh, pushing his glasses up. His partner raised her eyebrows at him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, you've gotten _way_ better, but my god Joe it's like you'll die if you don't study or think about school." Mimi smiled, patting his shoulder to emphasize her point. "I called you because I wanted to see you, you're fun when you're not super stressed out." _She_ wanted _to see me?_ His partner let her hand fall back in to her lap and he wondered if she even realized what she just said. _I can't see very well, but it does look like she's blushing a bit._

"Fair enough." He said, raising his hands defensively. "No more thinking about school for the rest of the night." Mimi nodded in agreement and started the movie, accidentally brushing her knuckles against his leg when she set the remote back down between them. _Yup, I'm screwed—totally, one hundred percent screwed._ Joe thought, trying to get lost in the movie despite the fact that his brain was in overdrive. He couldn't understand how he went from hating his partner to wanting to get to know her, but he supposed this fell in to one of the gray areas of life. He couldn't stand it when things weren't black and white. _Darn it, how did this happen?_ Joe knew exactly how it happened, she'd proved him wrong and made an effort to get to know him. He was becoming attached to her because of that and he hated himself for being so weak. _I'll analyze this later, it's too exhausting to think about now._ Somehow he managed to direct his attention back to the movie, laughing at all the antics of the characters onscreen with his partner. As much as Joe wanted to figure out his feelings, enjoying the time he had with his friend was more important than being overly analytical. _There's a first time for everything._ He thought, thankful that she'd invited him over.

* * *

The semester seemed to fly by rather quickly. By the time they'd reached their penultimate week of class, Joe insisted on spending every waking minute working on their project. Mimi objected at first until she realized how little time was left in their class. They pulled all nighters, laughing over how deliriously tired they were while working, and managed to complete their Power Point the night before it was due. Needless to say, she'd be happy when it was finally over.

 _Racism is the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race—the more common definition is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different—oh God, I don't know if I can do this._ Mimi bit her lip as she mentally ran through her portions of their presentation, wishing she'd made notes. It was here. After seven weeks of hard work their last day of sociology was here. She wouldn't miss the work, but she would definitely miss her partner. _Never thought we'd actually manage to become friends._ Joe, for as neurotic as he could be, was the most genuine guys she knew. He kept her grounded when her head was in the clouds and she admired his determination.

Recently it seemed as if they'd become inseparable; not only because they'd spent every day together preparing their presentation, but because they often went out after they were done studying. They also spent a good amount of time texting each other. Even if his messages were really dry and generic with things like 'hey, don't forget you have a final tomorrow' or 'if you're sitting at the pool don't forget to wear sunscreen' she knew it was his way of showing he cared. The blonde smoothed out a nonexistent wrinkle on her skirt before entering their classroom, instantly spying her partner. _Wow, he cleans up great._ Joe was wearing a white short sleeved button down shirt with a pair of black jeans, along with a navy blue tie. His dark hair was neat as always and Mimi wondered if he was trying to dress like their professor to get them a higher grade.

"Hey, ready for this?" He asked without looking up from his note cards, smirking.

"As I'll ever be." She sighed, taking out her own note cards before glancing at him once more. _He looks like he's ready to get this over with._ Regardless of whether or not they'd started this project on good terms, they were ending it as friends. Friends who might not talk to each other after today. She felt a pang of disappointment at that thought. They'd worked so hard to understand each other and it would be a waste for them to part ways without so much as a goodbye. _That won't happen though, at least I don't think it will._ If anything Joe would tell her he was thankful she worked hard before cutting her out of his life completely.

"Relax, Mimi, we're gonna do great." Joe looked at her with a smile, giving her a thumbs up. _Pot calling the kettle black…he's sweet for being concerned._ She grinned and returned the gesture, instantly looking at the door when it swung open. Dr. Woo walked in to the classroom, surveying his students with a grin.

"Hey guys." He greeted, throwing his bag on the chair before booting up the computer. "We're just gonna jump right in to doing the presentations to save time. Joe, Mimi, since you two signed up for the first slot, you're up." _What!? Now?_ Mimi looked at Joe, who was surprisingly calm as he walked up to the desk and handed Dr. Woo the flash drive containing their presentation. She got up, knowing her legs were shaking a bit, and made her way up to the front of the classroom. Giving presentations had never been her favorite part of her high school classes, yet that didn't mean she was bad at them. Mimi was actually an engaging speaker when the topic interested her and she didn't know why she was so nervous. _Probably because I don't want to disappoint Joe._ That was definitely part of the reason she felt like puking as their introduction slide came up on the projector screen. Her partner exhaled and must've sensed how nervous she was, because he mouthed the phrase 'you can do it' before looking at their professor. Dr. Woo gave them a thumbs up, signaling that they could start. _Breathe, things will be fine._ Mimi reminded herself, clinging to her notes as Joe started talking. _Please let us do well._

Their presentation went as well as it could. Mimi had stumbled over a few words while reading over her notes, but other than that it seemed like they'd impressed their classmates. _Can't wait to hear what Joe has to say._ After their presentation was finished he'd smiled at her and went back to his seat, automatically tuning in to the next group's presentation. She didn't know if he'd done that out of pity or if he thought she'd done well. _Why do I care?_ Mimi rested her chin on her hand, almost falling asleep from how boring the final group of the day's presentation was. Thankfully they only had five minutes left and as soon as they were done everyone began packing up their belongings. _Finally_ , she got up from her seat, unsure as to whether or not she should wait for her partner. When he joined her and started walking next to her, she was glad she'd stuck around. Once they walked outside the classroom Joe tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"We did it, that was awesome." He said with a laugh, making her smile.

"I know! I think we'll get the highest grade in the class." She said confidently, hugging her notebook to her chest. Her partner nodded in agreement and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking deep in thought. _Why does it look like he's about to ask me something major?_ Mimi cocked her head to the side, waiting for him to respond to her comment.

"Definitely." A beat of silence followed. "Uh…I wanted to ask you this earlier, but would you, um, want to grab dinner with me tonight? Celebrate being done with our presentation?" Joe's cheeks were turning pink and she felt a surge of affection for the sheepish guy. Unable to help it, Mimi dropped her notebook and threw her arms around his neck, giggling. _Hope he's okay with this._ It took a few seconds for her partner to understand what just happened, but eventually his arms wrapped around her waist. _Hm, this feels kinda nice._ Actually it seemed as if he was the perfect height for her, not overly tall but definitely not short. If she wanted to, she could turn her cheek against his chest.

"I'd love to." The blonde said when they broke apart, smiling at how embarrassed Joe was. _He's so cute._ "It'll make up for the, um…crappy start we had."

"Totally." Her partner appeared to be having difficultly breathing as he adjusted his glasses, asking if she was free around six. The pair spent ten minutes working out all the details before parting ways and Mimi felt light as air while walking back to her car. _Thank God I survived this class…and met Joe._ While their first week together had been rocky, what mattered to her was how close they'd become over the course of eight weeks. She sincerely hoped they could continue growing and getting closer, even when he had to leave for college in fall. _I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, for now dinner sounds amazing._ Mimi thought as she drove off campus, thankful that something good had come out of taking a summer class.


End file.
